Dear Editor,
In an interesting article by your columnist Michael Burke, headlined ‘Go Back to Norman Manley!’ and published on April 14, 2016, there is a least one error that I would like to correct at this time.
As the national organiser of the People’s National Party (PNP) between 1972-1974, and the general secretary between1974-1977 when the party publicly reaffirmed its commitment to ‘democratic socialism’, I have no evidence to support the view that the PNP was forced to “revive its earlier democratic socialism position as quickly as possible to forestall any new JLP leader taking the left position from the PNP”.
To my certain knowledge, the PNP under Michael Manley’s leadership conducted an internal political education programme beginning at its September 1972 conference. A robust programme was developed, culminating in the public announcement of the party’s reaffirmation of its democratic socialist ideology. This took place at a public meeting in November 1974 at the statue of the founding leader of the PNP, Norman Washington Manley.
Dr D K Duncan
Kingston 6
dktruthja@gmail.com
In an interesting article by your columnist Michael Burke, headlined ‘Go Back to Norman Manley!’ and published on April 14, 2016, there is a least one error that I would like to correct at this time.
As the national organiser of the People’s National Party (PNP) between 1972-1974, and the general secretary between1974-1977 when the party publicly reaffirmed its commitment to ‘democratic socialism’, I have no evidence to support the view that the PNP was forced to “revive its earlier democratic socialism position as quickly as possible to forestall any new JLP leader taking the left position from the PNP”.
To my certain knowledge, the PNP under Michael Manley’s leadership conducted an internal political education programme beginning at its September 1972 conference. A robust programme was developed, culminating in the public announcement of the party’s reaffirmation of its democratic socialist ideology. This took place at a public meeting in November 1974 at the statue of the founding leader of the PNP, Norman Washington Manley.
Dr D K Duncan
Kingston 6
dktruthja@gmail.com